Alex Murdoff broke down in tears As police bodycam footage was played at his trial – while the first police officer at the scene of the heinous murders told the court that “no tears” appeared in his eyes at the time of the murders.
As the high-profile double murder trial got underway, bodycam footage was played Thursday morning at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina.
Colton County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Daniel Green was the first witness to take the stand, where he recounted how he was the first law enforcement officer to respond to the scene of the horrific murders of 52-year-old Maggie Murdoff and 22-year-old Paul Murdoff.
Sergeant Green told the court that Mr Murdo seemed “distressed” and repeatedly asked if his wife and son had died, but did not appear to have any physical tears.
“Have you ever seen physical tears?” the prosecutor asked.
“I didn’t,” said the officer.
In the video from Sergeant Green’s body-worn camera, Mr. Murdaugh appears emotional as he talks to the officer, telling him the details of Maggie and Paul, and willingly tells his alibi that he was with his mother at the time. Went to meet
He is heard saying “They’re not dead, are they?” To which the officer says that he believes they are.
Mr Murdaugh was seen sobbing and wiping his eyes as the footage was played in court.
The 54-year-old heir to a prominent legal dynasty is accused of fatally shooting wife Maggie and their son Paul on June 7, 2021, on the grounds of the sprawling family estate in Islandton.
Two different weapons were used to kill the victims, Magee shot five times with an automatic rifle and Paul shot twice – once in the head and once in the chest – with a shotgun.
He was arrested in July 2022 and charged with the killing and two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.
Mr Murdo has pleaded not guilty to the charges and said the person or persons responsible for killing his wife and son are still on the run.
Sergeant Green testified that he arrived to see Mr Murdo at the scene with a shotgun, which he told the officer he had collected from the house after finding the bodies of his wife and son.
They confiscated the gun from Mr. Murdaf and found the bodies of both victims. They found no signs of life from the victims and noted a “brain matter”, he said.
There are also pools of blood around each victim, he said.
As soon as he arrived at the scene, the officer said Mr Murdo “immediately” told him about the fatal 2019 boating accident involving his son Paul.
Alex Murdo sobs during opening arguments in his murder trial
(AP)
“It’s a long story. My son was trapped in a boat wreck,” Mr Murdo is heard saying in the bodycam footage.
At the time of Paul’s death, he was awaiting trial over the death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach, who died in a 2019 boating accident where Paul was allegedly drunk and driving behind the wheel.
He was charged with boating under the influence and faced up to 25 years in prison, but was executed before his trial.
Mr Murdaugh immediately suggested the shooting was linked to this, saying: “I know what it is.”
Ahead of the trial, Mr. Murdaugh’s dramatic 911 call was released, where he cried and sobbed into the phone.
He said that when he returned home after visiting his elderly mother, he found his wife and son dead from multiple bullet wounds.
In the audio, Mr Murdaugh is heard crying as he tells the dispatcher “this is bad” and “my wife and child have been fatally shot”.
For 13 months, no arrests were made in their murders, no suspects were named and no charges were laid over their murders, until Mr Murduff was charged in July 2022.
Prosecutors say Mr Murdo killed his wife and son in an attempt to divert attention from other crimes and scandals.
Opening arguments kicked off the trial on January 25, with both the prosecution and defense detailing in graphic detail the horrific injuries suffered by the two victims.
Mr Murdaugh was seen breaking down in tears at one point as his lawyer, Dick Harpootlian, described the fatal shot that killed his son Paul, saying “his brain exploded like a watermelon”.
He said Mr Murdog then arrived at the house and saw his son’s brain with his feet.
Mr. Harpootlian insisted that Mr. Murdo was an innocent man, saying that jurors would see Snapchats of father and son happily together less than two hours before the murder.
Maggie and Paul Murdoff were shot and killed on June 7, 2021
(handout)
He also argued that cellphone records from that night are “incomplete” and that Maggie’s phone was dumped on the side of the road half a mile from the family’s property at the same time that Mr. Murda was on the property.
He added that the suspect “would have to be Houdini to be in both places”.
However, prosecutors told jurors that cellphone records and a Snapchat video taken by Paul minutes before he died were “vital” in proving Mr Murdaugh’s guilt.
Attorney Creighton Waters gave a timeline for the murders, stating that Paul was shot first in the dog house at 8.50 pm and Maggie minutes later.
Cellphone records allegedly placed Mr Murdo in the doghouse minutes earlier – after the suspect had “told everyone he was never there”.
Mr Waters also described a video made at Paul’s kennels minutes before his murder, when he was filming a dog to send to a friend. According to the prosecution, three voices – Paul, Magee and Mr Murdoff – could be heard.
Other evidence the prosecution had promised to show jurors included gunshot residue found in Mr Murdaugh’s car, on him and on the raincoat he allegedly left at his parents’ house a week after the murders. had left the house.
More explosive details are expected to emerge throughout the trial, which is set to last at least three weeks.
In addition to the murder case, Mr Murdaugh faces at least 100 other criminal charges in a range of charges.
Three months after the murders – on 4 September 2021 – Mr. Murdaugh allegedly conspired to pay a hitman to kill him so that Buster would receive a $10 million life insurance windfall.
The now-disbarred lawyer initially claimed he was ambushed in a drive-by shooting while changing a tire on his vehicle, but his story quickly unraveled and he confessed to the conspiracy.
Mr Murdaugh and his alleged co-conspirator Curtis Smith were arrested and charged over the incident.
The day before the shootings, Mr. Murduff was confronted by his law firm, PMPED, for allegedly stealing millions of dollars from clients.
Murdo’s home where Maggie and Paul were shot and killed
(AP)
He is now charged with more than 100 counts from multiple indictments alleging he stole about $8.5 million from clients at his law firm in fraudulent schemes a decade ago.
The attorney, who has since been disbarred, allegedly represented clients in wrongful death settlements before collecting the money for himself.
Alleged victims include family members of Gloria Satterfield, Murdaugh’s longtime housekeeper, who died in 2018 in a mysterious visit and accident at the family home.
At the time, his death was treated as an accidental fall—though the investigation was reopened after the murders of Maggie and Paul.
The Housekeeper is just one of a series of other mysterious deaths surrounding the Murduffs.
Stephen Smith, 19, was found dead in the middle of the road in Hampton County. South Carolina, The openly gay teen had suffered blunt force trauma to the head and his death was officially ruled a hit-and-run. But the victim’s family has long doubted this version of events, with the name of the deceased appearing in several police tips and community rumours.
The investigation into his death has also been reopened.
At the time of Paul’s death, he was also awaiting trial in the death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach, who died in a 2019 boating accident where Paul was allegedly drunk and driving behind the wheel. He was charged with boating under the influence and faced up to 25 years in prison, but was executed before his trial.
The Murdog family reached a wrongful death settlement with the Beach family in early January.
Mr. Murdaf is also facing several other civil lawsuits.